| Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Te Pirimia o Aotearoa | |
 | |
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | |
| Style |
|
| Status | Head of government |
| Abbreviation | PM |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | House of Representatives |
| Residence | Premier House, Wellington |
| Seat | The Beehive, Wellington |
| Appointer | Governor-General |
| Term length | At the Governor-General's pleasure |
| Formation | 7 May 1856 |
| First holder | Henry Sewell |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand |
| Salary | NZ$498,300 annually[citation needed] |
|
|---|
 New Zealand portal |
The prime minister of New Zealand (Māori: Te pirimia o Aotearoa) is the head of government of New Zealand. The incumbent[update] prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023.[1]
The prime minister (informally abbreviated to PM) ranks as the most senior government minister. They are responsible for chairing meetings of Cabinet; allocating posts to ministers within the government; acting as the spokesperson for the government; and providing advice to the sovereign or the sovereign's representative, the governor-general. They also have ministerial responsibility for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which is based in the Beehive in Wellington.
The office exists by a long-established convention, which originated in New Zealand's former colonial power, the then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The convention stipulates that when the office becomes vacant, the governor-general must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the support, or confidence, of the House of Representatives. This individual is typically the parliamentary leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in that house.[a] The prime minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their actions to the governor-general, to the House of Representatives, to their political party, and ultimately to the national electorate.
Originally the head of government was titled "colonial secretary" or "first minister". This was changed in 1869 to "premier". That title remained in use for more than 30 years, until Richard Seddon changed it to "prime minister" in 1900 during his tenure in the office.[2] Following the declaration of New Zealand as a Dominion in 1907, the term prime minister has been used exclusively in English. In Māori, the title pirimia, means "premier".[3] New Zealand prime ministers are styled as "The Right Honourable", a privilege they retain for life.[4]
Forty-two people (thirty-nine men and three women) have served as prime minister, the first of whom was Henry Sewell taking office on 7 May 1856 as premier. The longest-serving prime minister was Richard Seddon, who served over 13 years, and the shortest-serving was Sewell, who served two weeks.
- ^ "Appointment ceremony of the new prime minister and deputy prime minister". Government House. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
titlewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Moorfield, John C (ed.), "Pirimia", Te Aka Online Māori Dictionary, Pearson, retrieved 16 November 2018
- ^ "The Right Honourable". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).